Running head: REFLECTION POINT 1: A BETTER UNDERSTANDING OF CRITICAL

REFLECTION

Reflection Point 1: A Better Understanding of Critical Reflection

Catherine Fahey
George Mason University

Reflection Point 1: A Better Understanding of Critical Reflection

Reflection Point 1: A Better Understanding of Critical Reflection

Looking back and reflecting on my learning, my growth, and my change at this point in the
Core, there are significant changes that have taken place and will be put into action in my
classroom teaching. Reflecting on the coursework, related readings, and products in EDUC 612,
one can see how they have led me to think more deeply about critical reflective practice and who
I am as a learner and educator. In order to truly see the growth I have made, I have looked a
back on my self-assessment score from the reflective pyramid from the second class of EDUC
612 and looked at my journal entry to see how my thinking has been enhanced through the
course readings, discussions and program outcomes. In the following one will see how my
reflective practice has been enriched through taking the course EDUC 612.
When looking back at my self-reflection score and journal entry, I found that I saw
reflection as purely a means to improve upon myself and my teaching from what lesson I did that
day but what I realized was reflection is much deeper than that. When I first wrote my journal I
said, critical reflective practice is taking time to look at the action of your previous plan and learn
from it to make improvements. It is learning from your own actions and growing professionally.
Not only is it important to look at actions but emotions, words, responses from your class to be
able to analyze yourself better and more fully. After reading Stephan Brookfield, What It Means
to be a Critically Reflective Teacher, my thoughts on reflection changed. She spoke about the
types of assumptions we make such as: paradigmatic, prescriptive, and causal and how it is
important to challenge assumptions and let go of the power struggle within. It is important to
look through many different lenses helps one critically reflect. It is important to look through the
students eyes, our colleagues eyes, through the lens of theory, and our own lenses.
Throughout the ASTL program, elite learning outcomes are present in all the courses. In
this course, my understanding and knowledge had enhanced through three core values, student
learning: teachers are committed to students and their learning; systematic inquiry of practice:
teachers think systematically about their practice and learn from experience; and learning
community: teachers are members of learning communities.
First, my reflection of student learning has been enhanced in the core value stating
teachers are committed to students and their learning. Throughout my teaching career, valuing
students and their learning has been very important to me. Having taken EDUC 612, I
understand the importance of reflecting on how you deliver the knowledge being conveyed to the
students. It is our goal as teachers to continue our own education and learning to best teach our
students. Brookfield said best when she stated that, a critically reflective stance towards our
teaching helps us avoid these traps of demoralization and self-laceration. It might not win us an
easy promotion or bring us lots of friends, but it does enormously increase the chance that we
will survive in the classroom with enough energy and sense of purpose to have a real effect on
those we teach (Brookfield, 1995, p. 2). It is our promise as educators to provide our students

Reflection Point 1: A Better Understanding of Critical Reflection

with the best learning community, values, energy, trust and so much more to help them reach the
highest potential.
The next core learning outcome that has become valuable in my teaching is systematic
inquiry of practice: teachers think systematically about their practice and learn from experience.
The key terms in this learning outcome is practice and learn from experience. Being in the
classroom gives educators the opportunity to practice teaching. It gives us the opportunity to try
new teaching strategies, experiment with new techniques, and explore new tools. The challenge
is learning from our experience. So many teachers look back at lessons and think about what
went well and what changes can be made to tackle the lesson better next time. Most teachers
believe that is reflection. Having taken EDUC 612, I understand the importance of critical
reflection. It is important to make sure I am looking back and learning from myself to be the
best for my class. Deweys idea of reflection having a set of attitudes helps me understand
reflection from a deeper standpoint. He says that you need to have the attitude of whole
heartedness, have directness and trust in ones experience, you need to have the attitude of open
mindedness, and be responsible with your reflections.
In addition to the previous learning outcomes, the outcome regarding learning
community, stating that teachers are members of learning communities has given me a new
outcome to work towards. Throughout my time as a teacher, there has been this expectation of
teachers being part of a learning community. Before taking EDUC 612, I thought I only felt this
learning community when I was involved with college education. Now I have a better
understanding of what a learning community among teacher colleagues should look like. Being
part of a learning community is more than just learning new ideas and techniques and comparing
notes. It is about collaborating and learning from each other to meet the needs of your goal. In
the future I would like to enhance my learning community by team teaching and working with
educators of other subjects and grade levels to better meet the needs of my students.
In conclusion, taking a look back to reflect on my learning, my growth, and change at this
point in the Core, has shown significant changes that have taken place and will be put into action
in my classroom teaching. Focusing on student learning, practice and experience, creating a
learning community and practicing critical reflection will lead to a positive classroom and
educational experience for not only the students but the teacher as well. Also, working with my
professional ASTL learning community in the EDUC 612 has given me the opportunity to grow
as a professional to provide the best educational environment and will enhance my teaching in
my classroom.

Reflection Point 1: A Better Understanding of Critical Reflection

References
Brookfield, S. (1995). What it means to be a critically reflective teacher. Becoming a critically
reflective teacher (pp. 1-27). San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.
Brookfield, S. (1995). Becoming critically reflective: A process of learning and change.
Becoming a critically reflective teacher (pp. 28-48). San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.
(CHAPTER 2).
Brookfield, S. (1995). Learning to know ourselves: The value of autobiography. Becoming a
critically reflective teacher (pp. 49-70). San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass. (CHAPTER 3).
Dewey, J. (1933). What is thinking? How we think (pp. 3-23). Boston, MA: D.C. Heath &
Company.
Dewey, J. (1938). Criteria of experience and the meaning of purpose. Experience and education
(pp. 33-50, 67-72). New York, NY: Touchstone.
Dewey, J. (1944). Experience in thinking. Democracy in education (pp. 139-151). New York,
NY: The Free Press.
Hole, S., & McEntee, G. (1999). Reflection is at the heart of practice. Educational Leadership,
56(8), 34-37.
Kohl, H. (2002). Topsy-turvies: Teacher talk and student talk. In L. Delpit & J. K. Dowdy (Eds.),
The skin that we speak (pp. 145-161). New York, NY: The New Press.
Nieto, S. (1999). The light in their eyes: Creating multicultural learning communities. New York,
NY: Teachers College Press.